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W3i has officially launched a new mobile game publishing venture called Recharge Studios, in addition to a $1m (minimum) fund targeted at iOS mobile gaming startups.

“The tech industry is clearly growing in the area of free-to-play mobile/social gaming and Minnesota needs to have to have it’s own dedicated resource in this space,” declares Robert Weber, VP and Co founder of parent company W3i.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Recharge Studios is specifically seeking to fund iOS developers/teams with an original game concept or prototype, past development experience, business and marketing plan, commitment to the freemium revenue model and plans for social game mechanics. Compulsion loop, time management or simulation games are types of the gaming sub genres of interest to Recharge, who anticipates the funding of at least 10 new gaming startups — beginning next month.

It’s estimated that there’s between 200,000 – 300,000 apps (including games) the iOS App Store; newcomers to the gaming world often face challenges to get their new game(s) discovered, which is where W3i sees experience coming into play. “This is a a chance for developers near and far to partner with a company with more than a decade of distribution and monetization experience with top consumer applications,” says Weber.

With the launch of Recharge Studios, game developers can gain access to capital and marketing resources, as well as production expertise and support staff. The boutique is currently building a small staff of experienced product managers and marketers.

W3i was started by the Weber bros. — Aaron, Rob and Ryan — on the campus of St. Cloud State University in 2000 . The company’s core business is built on the desktop app side, where app publishers get paid for recommending relevant applications through a technology known as InstallIQ, which gives advertisers a mass distribution channel. InstallIQ has facilitated more than 400 million app installs–including over 100 million in 2009 alone.

Aaron has since moved on to Co-found Inveni, while Rob and Ryan continued to see the company reach tens of millions in annual revenue. In June, W3i launched Apperang — a product that pays consumers to download mobile applications, which in turn, drives traffic rankings for developers.

“There’s a market opportunity for the developer who can move fast and we will help the right talent seize it,” says Weber, adding “We are the co-producers.”

To apply for funding contact Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, Robert Weber (Robert dot Weber at W3i dot com).